Preview — Dark Ages
by J.D. Dutra

Dark Ages: 2020 (Dark Ages, #1)

No civilization has ever stood the test of time. When societies collapse... How do the unprepared survive?

After ancient Rome fell to the barbarian hordes and its light went out, 500 years of economic and cultural deterioration followed in Europe - The Dark Ages. In the 14th century, the most brutal pandemic to ravage mankind finally pulled this part of the world out of thNo civilization has ever stood the test of time. When societies collapse... How do the unprepared survive?

After ancient Rome fell to the barbarian hordes and its light went out, 500 years of economic and cultural deterioration followed in Europe - The Dark Ages. In the 14th century, the most brutal pandemic to ravage mankind finally pulled this part of the world out of the darkness. The Black Death decimated over 60% of the population, creating an immediate surplus of goods and land, which catapulted Europe into a new age of the rebirth: The Renaissance.

The Black Death pandemic of the 14th century was no act of nature. The outbreak was unleashed on purpose, by an ancient and occult cabal which still operates at the present time, behind the secret societies of the rich and powerful.

In the year 2020, moved by the desire to launch humanity into a new era of enlightenment and scientific advancements, this same obscure society plans to release a virus which can wipe out up to 90% of the world's population. Political maneuvering and the biggest false flag event in generations sets their plan in motion, and immediately the President of The United States is caught in a web of horror weaved by this powerful global elite.

In the midst of it all, a clandestine CIA agent is torn between honor, duty and family. A struggling entrepreneur obeys the State and yet pays the ultimate price. An influential philanthropist has a dark secret that can alter the course of history, one which might lead a trio of scam artists to get more than they ever expected.

As modern society crumbles and the final unleashing of a New World Order takes place, these 5 lives will collide in a violent struggle for control, power and ultimate survival....more

Dark Ages: 2020 is a Political Thriller that has amazing potential in further releases. The first novel attempt by the author (that I am aware of), and a darn good one. You start off at the precipice. You start out by looking at everything that is to come, but you have no real idea as to how the future shall come to be.

The characters are easily relatable, depending upon your own actual history. Us veterans will have a fellow to connect with(enough to make your eyes tear up). You sDark Ages: 2020

Dark Ages: 2020 is a Political Thriller that has amazing potential in further releases. The first novel attempt by the author (that I am aware of), and a darn good one. You start off at the precipice. You start out by looking at everything that is to come, but you have no real idea as to how the future shall come to be.

The characters are easily relatable, depending upon your own actual history. Us veterans will have a fellow to connect with(enough to make your eyes tear up). You small business owners with employees will have a fellow to bond with in their struggle. Us family folk will have plenty of chances to set the novel down, and have a “Holy crap…” moment or five. Simply, everyone will have something to connect with, and make the novel more personally realistic. to boot, there are no characters that end up being supermen when the world needs them. None of them have extended blabbering scenes to espouse a political agenda via the authors keyboard. There are a few instances where it would not have been practical to water it down, but they do not drag or detract. Some of the characters are heavily based off of actually players in our politics, so be aware of that as you crack it open!

The settings are real world, making it that much more personal for some of us. While there could possibly be more descriptions of the surroundings, my own imagination never failed me. It fills in necessary gaps. If you do not have an over-reactive imagination, then do as best you can.

The plot as a whole certainly needs a little maturation and attention, but remember that this is the authors first go at this! There are a few gaps, a few places that could do with a little TLC. Some parts seems a little rushed, and awkward to read an imagine at the same time, but that is not a big deal at all if you keep his literary history in mind. Also keep in mind that there will be further installations in this story, so any shortcomings here, can be ironed out later.

If I were allowed to give more than just a handful of stars, perhaps a 0-100 score, it would score 85-90, but here, I shall award a five star. I really like this book, and eagerly await further installations!...more

If you like books where the author uses the word 'tactical" to describe almost every tool or piece of clothing used then this is the book for you. I almost want to read it again so that i can count how many times he wrote "tactical pants". What is the obsession with tactical pants?! He also used "tactical flashlight" and "tactical knife" quite often. He also referred to AR's as "assault weapons" come on guy...us real gun folk call them by the manufacture and model. The author knew his hand gunsIf you like books where the author uses the word 'tactical" to describe almost every tool or piece of clothing used then this is the book for you. I almost want to read it again so that i can count how many times he wrote "tactical pants". What is the obsession with tactical pants?! He also used "tactical flashlight" and "tactical knife" quite often. He also referred to AR's as "assault weapons" come on guy...us real gun folk call them by the manufacture and model. The author knew his hand guns well enough, but all rifles were "tactical assault weapons". I had the pleasure of listening to this via audible, which meant I got to hear the narrator use very racist and confusing accents. The strange voice modifier they used for when the weird alien-Egyptian-god like-cone heads spoke was an especially nice touch. It scared the shit out of my kids, which was by far the most entertaining aspect of this whole book listening experience....more

This was a surprisingly good read. I had won a copy through a Giveaway and was a bit skeptical of the quality of the book as the author seemed new, but as I read I was drawn into the story.

My thoughts:

The writing was quality work (though there were quite a few typos that were missed in editing).The characters were for the most part interconnected.The story didn't have any flow issues.I had a little trouble identifying with some of the characters.The ending left me wanting, but that left a sequelThis was a surprisingly good read. I had won a copy through a Giveaway and was a bit skeptical of the quality of the book as the author seemed new, but as I read I was drawn into the story.

My thoughts:

The writing was quality work (though there were quite a few typos that were missed in editing).The characters were for the most part interconnected.The story didn't have any flow issues.I had a little trouble identifying with some of the characters.The ending left me wanting, but that left a sequel wide open.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in conspiracy theory....more

This is a different approach to an end of the world scene. It could happen in the present day climate, biological warfare, but the author takes it a little further. He looks at the end from four different individuals viewpoints, who have (at first glance) nothing in common. He then ties these individuals together by seemingly random events. There is also, in the background, the devious plots of the world governments. This is a very interesting, intriguing, and exciting read. A good book to get lThis is a different approach to an end of the world scene. It could happen in the present day climate, biological warfare, but the author takes it a little further. He looks at the end from four different individuals viewpoints, who have (at first glance) nothing in common. He then ties these individuals together by seemingly random events. There is also, in the background, the devious plots of the world governments. This is a very interesting, intriguing, and exciting read. A good book to get lost in....more

Damn this book is awesome loved how the different characters all got tied together.The character Ivan was pretty cool I liked his handy car grinder.1st book I've read that's like this or just deals with this kinda stuff and damn glad i got to read this.Ending is awesome makes me wish I had the 2nd book already but cant wait to read it when it comes out.

I received this book free through Goodreads. This was not an easy read for me. First of all, it is set in the future, and I am not a big fan of the genre. Secondly, the events described here could actually happen--and that scares the living daylights out of me. It took me an unusually long time to read because I kept walking away from it. Since I have finished it, I am glad I stuck it out.

***THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED FROM A GOODREADS GIVEAWAY***If you like to read to escape from reality, this book is not for you. Practically pulled from today’s headlines, Dark Ages: 2020 takes a look at a potential future that could be mere years away. Of course, in order to do so, there’s a lot of conspiracy theories that would need to come true in order for this novel to be a reality. That being said, the one thing this book does well is remove any hope you might ever have in humanity. Not only on***THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED FROM A GOODREADS GIVEAWAY***If you like to read to escape from reality, this book is not for you. Practically pulled from today’s headlines, Dark Ages: 2020 takes a look at a potential future that could be mere years away. Of course, in order to do so, there’s a lot of conspiracy theories that would need to come true in order for this novel to be a reality. That being said, the one thing this book does well is remove any hope you might ever have in humanity. Not only on a local and personal level, but as a civilization as a whole.

Unfortunately, none of the characters in this book are likeable. They all have flaws and these flaws aren’t just minor character flaws, but full-blown ethical quandaries. The reason for this is that each one of these characters is an extreme stereotype. Honestly, this book almost comes across as incredibly racist because of these characters. The Islamic Terrorist. The Welfare-dependent Black people. The Caucasian cuckolder in jail for white-collar crimes. The successful Asian with ties to the mafia. Look, I get that the current state of the American political system isn’t the best, and I agree that some of these regulations and laws can be quite ridiculous. But is it the author’s job to make his opinion that blatantly obvious?

As it is written, Dark Ages: 2020 is a pretty quick read, even if it is cringe-worthy at times. There are still a number of proofreading errors (like whatever was going on with the quotation marks occasionally changing to the “double angle” style) that pulled me out of the story, which is unfortunate. The plot could probably have also worked without the minimal bit of “alien influence” as well. Overall, this is your standard apocalyptic-to-post-apocalyptic story and there weren’t that many unpredictable elements in it at all.

A book that tells people who watch the news things they probably already know; I give Dark Ages: 2020 3.0 stars out of 5.

Frankly I was in two minds about even adding this book to my list. However as I got a free copy from Goodreads in return for a review, I suppose I will.

This is one of the worst books I've ever read. The entire novel is just a vehicle for Dutra's wrong-headed political opinions, his racism, homophobia, sexism and conspiracy theories. That wouldn't be unforgivable, if it was well-written. It is not.

Even if you ignore the constant typographical errors, the grammar and sentence structure are almostFrankly I was in two minds about even adding this book to my list. However as I got a free copy from Goodreads in return for a review, I suppose I will.

This is one of the worst books I've ever read. The entire novel is just a vehicle for Dutra's wrong-headed political opinions, his racism, homophobia, sexism and conspiracy theories. That wouldn't be unforgivable, if it was well-written. It is not.

Even if you ignore the constant typographical errors, the grammar and sentence structure are almost unreadable. All of the characters are shallow stereotypes, generally racist ones, with no sympathy or development. The 'plot' makes no sense and despite claiming to be set in the real world, it's certainly not the real world I like in....the "socialist paradise of America"? Come on.

In no circumstances should anyone read this book, as anything other than a study of 'what not to do'. I normally donate books I read and don't like to charity shops on the basis that someone else may enjoy them. This one's going straight in the bin. Don't think I've ever done that before....more